Don't Be One of These Kinds of Zen Student 

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I think part of the moral is that even though it's perfectly okay to not accept or agree with everything you hear blindly it's still perfectly fine to when you hear something which does not entirely make sense or simply does not resonate with you to simply just keep your mouth shut as opposed to trying to be a contrarian or trying to find ways to either disect,poke holes,eviscerate,call B.S, tear things down and rip things apart.While Zen does not tell you to accept anything blindly it's also better alot of the times to just sit down,shut up,do your thing while your'e with your Zen teacher and to just continue go on with your own personal life and you're own personal business once your time with the Zen teacher is over.In many situations you're perfectly capable of nodding your head to what a person keeping your mouth shut as well as still keeping your own personal perspective without the need to say anything or to challenge the speakers perspective and in many situations that's the best route of action or non action to follow.

I had to pause the video to express my gratitude to you Brad. I look forward to each and every single one of your talks. I have donated a few times in the past and would again if I could but can’t right now so this is the best I can do at the moment. Hope it at least puts a smile on your face. Love you brother.

By the way , you are one of the realest people I ‘know’ and feel like I really do know you and consider you a friend even though we’ve never met. Best wishes for this new year and keep up the good work. P.s you should finish the book about aliens. Seriously

I think those Masters had a hangover.

Thank you, Brad

Thank you, Brad 😊

THANK YOU, BRAAAAAAAAAAAD. Also: How do you manifest reality when you’re driving your car? Red light, green light, use the turn signal.

I love this, koans as the kind of banter people have to deal with every day. And your koan strikes me as a perfect example of that kind of thing translated into American colloquial chat. It is a glimpse into a moment of interaction, and it's funny too. I like finding these things in Dogen's writings, it really humanizes the whole master/guru thing, like when he made a little light fun of the rice cake painting that some other monk was so passionate about... ya gotta deal with so many different kind of people in life and it is a nice snapshot of those moments.

I love koans. Good job on re-working that one for contemporary audiences. One thing that I like about koans, especially this one, is that a certain level of maturity is required of students but of teachers as well. Viva Ziggy!

More that kind of stuff! We love explanations.

Thank you.

This koan reminds me of when folks ask me if Buddhism is a religion. I try to stick with saying "If you practice it as a religion, then yes." I thought this koan ran a similar direction: does New Year's Day have a particular Buddhist meaning? Well if you see one, then sure. If you don't, then no and you don't need to wrack your brain thinking you need to find that meaning. The thing that struck me about the monk's responses? It sounded like he praised the first master and not the second master because the first one told him what he already believed and so he appreciated having his view validated. The second master's answer didn't play to the monk's established view on the matter, so the monk's disparaged him for not telling the monk's he was right. I don't know. A koan probably has a different meaning to everyone. Interpretation is such a personal thing, and I don't want to bash anyone because theirs doesn't match mine. Be well.

Brad, When I saw the title, “Don’t Be One of These Kinds of Zen Student”, I thought, “Oh, good. He’s going to present different kinds of ‘bad’ Zen students. I wonder which one I’ll identify with,” but the video was about explaining a New Year Day koan. Perhaps you could do a video on “the different kinds of ‘bad’ Zen students”.

Brad. Thou hast attained to brightness, insightful ness and to a lightbulb switching on in thy brain !!! Thanks 👍😅❤ thanks. My dad was a fundamentalist preacher who me me toned that the president of the bible college made by up a proverb, it was ," be balanced". Somehow strongly different things like hardcore conservative Christianity and " hardcore or softcore Buddhism", can strangely have SOMETHINGS in common !!!!!😂❤

very well described!

the new year with resolutions cannot match the old year carrying its encumbrances forwards

Since you brought it up, have you seen the new Godzilla movie? If so what did you think? Great video! As always I appreciate your insights!

What I meant, Brad, by ," your bright", was that I woulda ever found it hard to get that one

New Year’s Day? Another day that ends in “Y”😂😂

The whole book I Am That is students challenging the teacher to the point of irritation (for me not for him).

And indeed however mundane the teachers comments, it ended bein profound. Middle way, be balanced. How else can we surf, ride bike. And we sure need to !!!

Hyakujō's Fox, ftw!

Are you telling me I hit a bell 108 times for nothing? 😊

Thank you for these two videos. It's nice to hear a modern version of the koans, like you did with Shobogenzo. Why not do the Shinji Shobogenzo as well ?

Ah. Got it

So, don't be a jerk?

Don't be that guy? Hold my beer.

Sadly I don't think moder audiences will know what a "Cheech & Chong Movie" is. Also, Zen students tend not to be potheads, so there's that.

Shemp?! I'm down with almost everything, but Shemp?!

Whats the book... yakujins fox?

Hello Brad, i often read something short in my Zen-Books before Zazen, so i did today in your book called "Sex, Sin, and Zen" at Page 111. In the middle of the page, there is written, that in pornography desires can be stired up, which cannot be fullfilled and probably also which shouldnt be fullfilled. I already heared something like that but i didnt understand it and i also didnt care too much because it was just a comedian. But now i really ask myself: "Why shouldnt it be good for me or why could it be bad for me, to have a really fat woman (i.e. above 130kg), who just wants anal sex?" Thats my fetisch/main subject. If it is really not good, to sexually get exactly what i want, maybe even independant of my desires, then i would be interessted to know why in your opinion that is the case. Would it be a problem, because my ego would have to change my desire instantly, and i would be very irritated then, because of this change? Or did you mean more the case on p.112?: You land on mars and there are just pretty women, who want to maximize their population... and you are the only man on the planet? Because something like that is obvious to me, that thats not the way of life...

Someone drinks and the Other gets drunk can happen!!! 😁😁😁

Constantly choosing blindly accept everything your Zen teacher says as if there God or as if they're some sort of all knowing entity as well as always being the person who constantly acts like they want to play a game of Devils advocate with the Zen teacher is not the best option I think thats another way which one can put it.